Japan already has its first aircraft carrier ready since World War II. And China is not very happy

Currently, when we talk about militarization we automatically think of countries like Russia, the United States, North Korea and above all, China. The Asian giant is investing a lot of money to modernize several wings of its military branch, not only that it is preparing its new Fujian aircraft carrier, a heavy helicopter has recently been discovered and its J- Maneuvers with 35 stealth fighter planes are also starting. ,

Japan is another power that has to work on modernizing its forces, and China doesn’t like that at all. The new bone of contention is the aircraft carrier Kaga.

militarization of japan, Not so long ago, Japan was one of the greatest military powers. However, due to his actions during World War II, Article 9 of the Constitution of Japan was approved on May 2, 1947. This is a clause that prohibits a country from carrying out acts of war, leaving aside the resolution of international disputes through the use of force.

This implies that Japan does not maintain combat-capable armed forces, but something that may be a contradiction, since it can maintain defensive forces, the so-called jitai or ‘Japan Self-Defense Forces’. For decades, the country allocated 1% of its GDP to maintaining these forces, but last year it doubled its commitment. This means that by 2027, Japan will invest approximately 271 billion euros, at a rate of 63 billion euros per year.

crow, This effort is a far cry from the 711 billion euros invested annually by the United States or the 207 billion euros invested annually by China, but it is a significant amount that is being translated into movements like the reform of Kaga. JS Kaga is a helicopter ship that entered service in 2017 and has its own armament, as well as the capacity for 14 helicopters that can take off and land or 28 cargo aircraft.

However, due to this renewed defensive desire, Japan is making changes to Kaga. It has been converted from a helicopter carrier to an aircraft carrier, the first in the country’s possession since World War II. It does not have an electromagnetic system or ski ramp like other aircraft carriers, but since it is capable of hosting aircraft, Japanese plans include the acquisition of F-35 Lightning II stealth fighters with vertical takeoff capability. In addition, the sidewalls are reinforced with a special coating to withstand the immense heat of the turbines of these fighters.

China doesn’t like this, The change in objective was included in the new defense budget approved by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2019, with sources saying Japan intends to acquire variants of the F-35B over several years. And, with continued regional tensions in the region, China is not happy about this.

The original Kaga was a battleship converted to an aircraft carrier that took part in the attack on Pearl Harbor, but also took part in the Second Sino-Japanese War a few years earlier, which is of significance to the Chinese government. As we read in SCMP, Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Wu Qian criticized the name at the time:

“I don’t understand why the Japanese always like to use the names they used during World War II. Is it because they don’t want to break the history of militarism or because they deliberately hurt people’s feelings? Incite to hurt the countries that were the victims?

Self Defense, Obviously, beyond the name, Japanese intentions with this new militarization are also worrisome, but Japan has blown the matter out of proportion. The government emphasizes that these operations provide the minimum response necessary to continue guaranteeing security and that the F-35B will not be deployed full-time on aircraft carriers, so it cannot be considered an attack aircraft carrier.

Furthermore, other institutions state that the name simply responds to the tradition of baptizing them with places and attributes that have significance in the Shinto religion. They do not respond to Imperial era names and claim it is an “exercise of wild imagination on Japanese nationalism”.

China will also not be happy with the fact that, in 2019, Trump praised the Japanese government’s decision to modernize ships and purchase North American F-35 fighter planes. However, these criticisms did not come only from China, as liberal Japanese parties such as Komeito demanded a concrete explanation from the government for the decision to refurbish ships such as Kaga or Izumo.

Image | hunni

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